TOP STORY>>Civilian retiree identification card to be replaced

By Debbie Gildea
Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) – Retired Air Force civilians who use the Air Force Form 354, Civilian Identification Card, to access Air Force installations have until early 2014 — when the AF354 will be rescinded — to get a Department of Defense Civilian Retiree ID Card or other access credentials, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

The AF354 was a card-stock product that allowed civilian retirees and their eligible dependents to enter an Air Force installation, with installation commander approval, but only for access to limited Morale, Welfare, and Recreation facilities (access which also applies to current Air Force employees and their dependents).

The card was not issued from the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System/Real-time Automated Personnel Identification System, and is not recognized by the Department of Defense under the Personnel Identity Protection Program for DEERS or by other services for installation access, said Ed Yoder, Air Force DEERS/RAPIDS project office.

“The card doesn’t meet the stringent security requirements established by the Department of Homeland Security,” Yoder said. “Installation access requires a secure card with identity vetting and online capabilities, such as bar code scanning.”

Although retired civilians can get a DOD identification card, there isn’t an equivalent for eligible dependents.

“On installations where the commander has approved civilian retiree and dependent access, they can contact the civilian personnel office as a starting point for determining eligibility and for getting a secure access card for their family members,” Yoder said.

Many bases use Defense Biometric Identification System cards for all installation access. With a commander approval letter from the force support squadron and a DBIDS card, retired Air Force civilian employees and their dependents will be able to access an installation.

“Like the 354, the DBIDS card and letter will only be good for the one installation,” Yoder said. “You won’t be able to use it to get on other Air Force or DOD installations.”

Once the AF354 is officially rescinded, which is tentatively slated for January, installation security will confiscate AF354 cards presented for access, so civilians should not wait to replace their access cards, he said.

For more information about access credentials and other personnel issues, visit myPers and enter “AF 354” in the search window.